Irishman who threatened Jewish woman in French supermarket receives suspended sentence

The 60-year-old was found guilty of “making death threats aggravated by their antisemitic nature”.

60-year-old Patrick O'Brien, originally from Dublin but living in France, was filmed threatening to "put a bullet" in the head of a Jewish lady during a confrontation at a hypermarket in Avignon.

O'Brien was further accused of making antisemitic remarks regarding World War II, such as “I’m sorry Hitler didn’t finish the job”.

The victims, Australian tourists who wish not to be named, both came from families who went through the Holocaust, with some of their relatives having been murdered by Nazis at the Auschwitz concentration camp.

O'Brien appeared in Avignon Criminal Court last Friday where he was convicted of “attempting to justify crimes against humanity” and “making death threats aggravated by their antisemitic nature”.

He was found guilty on both counts and ordered a six-month suspended sentence.

The Dublin native must also pay each of the victims €500, as well as €300 to Campaign against Hate, Antisemitism, Racism (CHAR) and B’nai B’rith, two Jewish humanitarian groups.

Prosecutors had also asked for O’Brien to be banned from French territory for three years, however this was declined by the judges.

O’Brien claimed he was suffering from ill health at the time, and added he was a “committed humanist” who opposed any kind of violence.

Avignon prosecutor Stéphanie Aouine explained how they accused had made a confession saying: “He admitted to the facts while putting them in context – he stated that he regretted his remarks, explaining that he had let anger get the better of him.”

Additionally, Aouine described the verbal attack, saying the Australian couple began chatting “cordially” over the husbands wearing of a French football jersey before it “veered onto Ireland’s policy regarding Israel."

 “The suspect then became aggressive and allegedly made antisemitic remarks.

“The Australian holidaymaker took out her phone to film the scene. The man then tried to end the exchange by walking away, before threatening – in English – to kill her if they [the woman and her husband] did not leave him alone," she explained.

CCTV footage was used to identify O'Brien before police traced his home near Avignon and took him into custody.

His house was raided and “digital devices” and computers containing further evidence of racism, were said to have been seized, including evidence of him saying he wanted to “get rid of trash from the Third World”.

At the time of his arrest, French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez commented: “Kudos to the gendarmes for their investigation following the antisemitic threats and remarks made against tourists this summer at a hypermarket in Le Pontet.

“Antisemitism must be fought firmly and relentlessly.”

After O'Brien's conviction, a CHAR (Campaign against Hate, Antisemitism and Racism) spokesperson welcomed the verdict, but claimed the punishment was lacking.

“To publicly wish for the completion of the Holocaust, then threaten a woman with death because she is Jewish, and walk away with a suspended sentence and a fine of just a few hundred euros – this sends a message that trivialises such acts, and it is something we cannot accept.

“The victim’s father survived the Holocaust – her family was murdered at Auschwitz. What was expressed in front of the victim was, in effect, a regret that her family had not been entirely wiped out.”

Regular claims about the rise of antisemitism have been made by Jewish groups in France with the increase of violent attacks linked to the ongoing genocide in Gaza.